Greece wildfire: Residents forced to flee to the sea to escape flames

The West Australian

Greece wildfire: Residents forced to flee to the sea to escape flames

VideoGreece has declared a state of emergency as the nation is ravaged by deadly bushfires

GREECE is in mourning following some of the worst wildfires this century, with fears the toll — at least 74 dead and 187 injured so far — could rise, as rescuers search for people trapped in their homes or burnt-out cars.

The fires, which broke out on Monday afternoon, devoured homes and forests, forcing terrified residents to flea into the sea for safety, while pine forests were reduced to ash and charred cars lined the smoke-filled streets of seaside towns near Athens.

The local mayor Rafinas-Pikermi has told local media he expects the number of victims will ‘be three digits’.

“Today, Greece is in mourning,” said Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who cut short a visit to Bosnia and announced three days of national mourning.

Greek media described the disaster as a “national tragedy”.

The government has not yet said how many people were regarded as missing. But the death toll is likely to surpass that from the blazes which hit Greece’s southern island of Evia in 2007 in which 77 people perished.

It’s believed no Australians have been hurt in the fires. A DFAT spokesman said the Australian Embassy in Athens had confirmed with local authorities no Australians have yet been reported injured or missing.

As world leaders including Pope Francis affirmed their solidarity, Athens said 308 engineers will arrive on site soon to assess the damage.

But “the problem is what is still hidden under the ashes,” said Vice President of Emergency Services Miltiadis Mylonas.

Dramatic video footage showed people fleeing by car as the tourist-friendly Attica region declared a state of emergency.

“I saw the fire move down the hill at around 6pm and five or ten minutes later it was in my garden,” said 60-year-old Athanasia Oktapodi.

Her home is surrounded by dry pine trees.

“They caught fire. I ran out like a crazy person, got to the beach and put my head in the water. Then the patrol boats came.”

RESORT ‘NO LONGER EXISTS’

Fire service spokeswoman Stavroula Maliri said firefighters were still searching for more victims and taking “dozens of calls” from people looking for relatives, she said.

Winds of above 100 kilometres per hour in Mati caused a “sudden progression of fire” through the village, said Maliri.

“Mati no longer exists,” said the mayor of nearby Rafina, Evangelos Bournous, adding that more than a thousand buildings and 300 cars had been damaged.

“I saw the flames outside the window of our hotel. I thought it would explode,” said Alina Marzin, a 20-year-old German tourist who had been staying at the Cape Verde hotel in Mati on Monday evening with her brother and their parents.

At least six people died trying to escape the flames into the sea. Some 715 people were evacuated by boats to Rafina, the government said.

“People are shocked, lost. Some of them have lost everything: children, parents, homes,” said Red Cross spokeswoman Georgia Trisbioti.

40C HEAT

Interior Minister Panos Skourletis said the priority was to extinguish a fire still burning in Kineta, 50 kilometres from Athens.

Near the town of Marathon, residents fled to safety along the beach, while 600 children were evacuated from holiday camps.

Officials raised the possibility the blazes could have been started deliberately by criminals out to ransack abandoned homes.

“I am really concerned by the parallel outbreak of these fires,” Tsipras said as supreme court prosecutors announced they had opened an investigation into the causes of the fire.

Showers were set to see temperatures around Athens drop slightly after hitting 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

INTERNATIONAL AID

The European Union activated its Civil Protection Mechanism after Greece sought help. Several countries said they were sending aircraft to help fight the flames.

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker tweeted the EU “will spare no effort to help Greece and the Greek people”, while Pope Francis spoke of his “deep sadness,” sentiments echoed by EU and NATO leaders.

NATO head Jens Stoltenberg offered the alliance’s full solidarity with Greece, whose government earmarked financial aid for victims’ relatives. EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Christos Stylianides said the 28-member bloc will take steps to upgrade its response to natural disasters that have been exacerbated by climate change.

Greece’s public order minister says Italy is dispatching two Canadair firefighting planes and Romania is sending a third aircraft to help combat the wildfires. Croatia has offered two more.

Minister Nikos Toskas said the aircraft are expected to arrive later today. Toskas said that if necessary, Greece would ask other European Union member states for additional help.

Toskas said never before have there been so many offers to assist firefighting efforts, lauding the solidarity other countries have shown.

He said climate change was responsible for the gale force winds that had fanned the flames, adding that Greece had never before experienced such strong winds.

FIRES ACROSS EUROPE

Wildfires have also caused widespread damage in northern Europe in recent days. Sweden, experiencing an unprecedented drought and the highest temperatures in a century, has counted more than 20 fires across the country.

Fires have also hit Finland’s northernmost Lapland province. Norway, which experienced its hottest May temperatures on record, has seen several small fires. One firefighter was killed on July 15 trying to contain a blaze.

Fires have raged for five days in Latvia, destroying more than 1000 hectares in the Baltic state.